Results 1-20 of 495 for likes to work speaker:Brendan Howlin

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Genocide in Gaza: Motion [Private Members] (7 Nov 2024)

Brendan Howlin: This is my last contribution to Dáil Éireann, having served in nine Dáileanna. It is a contribution I am glad to make because it will fittingly bookend many contributions I have made. If I can, I want to thank the people of Wexford for giving me the privilege of serving here for 38 years. I thank all of the staff I have worked with, including my own personal staff over these...

Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with the United Arab Emirates: Motions (6 Nov 2024)

Brendan Howlin: ...international cartels we have read about in other jurisdictions down through the decades, such as the Mafia or criminal cartels operating out of Mexico and countries in South America. We need to take action against that and one of the things that needs to be absolutely crystal clear is that there is no safe haven for those criminal overlords who can direct their criminal enterprises from...

Public Health Service Staffing: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (23 Oct 2024)

Brendan Howlin: ..., therefore, we selected the issue of health. It is one of the two overarching social and economic priorities for this country, the other being housing. Health is a critical issue and we sought to be constructive in the motion we tabled to allow the Government the opportunity to embrace ideas coming from this side of the House to improve our health services, which is critical for every...

Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (22 Oct 2024)

Brendan Howlin: ...legislation, public expenditure and taxation. The Seanad has specific delaying and deliberative functions. In terms of their respective roles, the Dáil is stated, in Article 15.1 of the Constitution, to be the House of Representatives. While the sole and exclusive power of making laws for the State is vested in the Oireachtas as a whole, the Dáil has two additional important...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Policy (10 Oct 2024)

Brendan Howlin: 62. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is working with like-minded colleagues in the European Union to develop a strategy to combat the rise of far-right actors across Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36394/24]

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (19 Sep 2024)

Brendan Howlin: As legislators, we approach the whole area of defamation law reform guided by two constitutional values. First, there is the citizen's right to protection and vindication of his or her good name under Article 42.3. Second, there is the right of the citizen to express freely his or her convictions and opinions, which is guaranteed under Article 46.1. The Bill before the House must be judged...

Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2024)

Brendan Howlin: On amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 3, I am disappointed the Minister is not accepting even the amendments to the amendment, as opposed to the general view from this side of the House that she might delay. If this proposal had been fleshed out and ready to go, it would have been included in the published Bill from the start. It arrived after the Bill had been published and after the Second...

Inquiry into the death of Shane O'Farrell: Motion [Private Members] (9 Jul 2024)

Brendan Howlin: I commend Sinn Féin on bringing this really important issue before us for debate again. Like others, I acknowledge the presence in the Gallery of the O'Farrell family, whose thirst for justice is boundless and whose determination makes it incumbent on all of us to respond in kind. The justice system of any nation is the bedrock on which citizens rely for their basic liberty and...

Gender-Based Violence: Motion [Private Members] (3 Jul 2024)

Brendan Howlin: This House and this country is deeply indebted to those brave victims of gender-based crime who have waived their right to anonymity to tell their own deeply personal stories. I mean women like Natasha O'Brien, who is here present and who I had the privilege of meeting this morning, and Bláthnaid Raleigh, who, again, bravely told her story on national radio. They have given a voice to...

Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (2 Jul 2024)

Brendan Howlin: I will share my time with Deputy Nash. This miscellaneous provisions Bill touches briefly on a broad range of unrelated issues that have only one thing in common, namely, they are all under the purview of the Department of Justice. The Bill does not deal in any detailed or systematic way with any of these important issues. There is nothing wrong, in principle, with that approach where the...

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2024)

Brendan Howlin: Well, let us have that discussion and see how we can do things better. I do not intend to press my amendment. I take on board exactly what the Tánaiste has said but would like to hear from him whether he might share with us his ideas when they are fleshed out a little bit better and before they are presented to us and we are told that amendments are wonderful but are not accepted and...

Extension of Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021: Motion (29 May 2024)

Brendan Howlin: As the Minister of State told the House, this is the latest in a series of motions. One has passed through this House every six months since 2021. The purpose of the motion is not controversial - to allow for a continuation of the current outdoor seating and drinking regime. Some such regime of some order would and should be an ordinary part of our ordinary regulated life. Until the...

Neutrality and the Triple Lock: Motion [Private Members] (29 May 2024)

Brendan Howlin: This is an important and timely debate on two issues that matter to the Irish people and I commend People for Profit-Solidarity on tabling the debate. I want to deal with each issue separately, the first of which is the announcement by the Tánaiste, which I have to say was a surprise and I was in the House the time it was made. He stated that it is his intention to alter the...

Local Authority Housing Maintenance and Repair: Motion [Private Members] (28 May 2024)

Brendan Howlin: ...and so many of our young people are looking abroad because they cannot find affordable accommodation at home. Day after day, week after week, all of us are getting emails and have people calling to our offices talking about the housing crisis. Things are truly desperate. This is obviously a huge topic. It has many facets. We have concentrated on the supply issue, correctly because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: 20th Anniversary of the 2004 EU Enlargement: Mr. Bertie Ahern (8 May 2024)

Brendan Howlin: I welcome iar-Thaoiseach, Mr. Ahern, to our committee. He has an important perspective to give us. I was privileged to serve together with him through his time both as a Member of the Dáil but also as a member of the Cabinet. I wish to ask a few questions, the first focusing on the political. The European Union started off as a economic entity. It is an economic community....

Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (2 May 2024)

Brendan Howlin: I would say it will be something that will be repeated daily by everybody. This new entity is to be responsible for overseeing and monitoring the human resources of the Defence Forces and reporting to the Minister, as the body deems appropriate. Its duties are set out in the new section 322 on page 14 of the Bill. This includes "the recruitment of members of the Defence Forces", which is a...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: The Future of Local Democracy: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Brendan Howlin: ...responsibility for local government at Cabinet level. The comment of the rapporteur that we are all very recent does not quite apply in my case. But in truth, local government impacts constantly on the work of every Oireachtas Member. More recently, in my role as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I had an overall platform on local government and its interaction with national...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: The Future of Local Democracy: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Brendan Howlin: It is no wonder that we have not reformed local government because there are so many different views. That is a perennial issue. If I may put it bluntly in this august Chamber, it is more like the discussions on Seanad reform that have been going on for as long as I have been here. Everyone is in favour of it but we cannot get around to agreeing on what reforms should be made. There are a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Elections 2024, Voting Rights and Combating Disinformation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Feb 2024)

Brendan Howlin: ...are very broad and multifaceted. In her introduction, Ms O'Connell described us as "distinguished" Members of Parliament. It reminds me of a trip I made with Barry Andrews, who is now an MEP, to an Irish Aid project in Africa. We were introduced by our hosts as "extinguished" Members of Parliament. Perhaps we will be in the future. I will drill down into a few issues, some of which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Elections 2024, Voting Rights and Combatting Disinformation: Discussion (21 Feb 2024)

Brendan Howlin: I welcome Mr. O'Leary back to his old bailiwick, where he was a distinguished public servant, and also his colleagues. For clarity, the Electoral Commission is a brand new organisation. Can Mr. O'Leary give us an indication of the Electoral Commission's current staffing and the allocation of those staff to the various tasks? It seems that under the Act, the Electoral Commission has a...